Vanilla
by elfling14
Summary: A fight at the Black household leads Sirius to run away and find comfort with his best friend's mother.


_"You know you're always welcome at our home, sweetheart," whispered Mrs. Potter kindly in ear as she hugged him on Platform 9 ¾. He took a breath, inhaling the hint of vanilla that always surrounded his best friend's mother. But then, with all the cookies that she sent to the boys, it made sense. It was a homey aroma, despite his own home never smelling of it._

_ "I know. Thank you," he whispered back._

_ All of a sudden, a strong hand clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Mr. Potter smiling down at him._

_ "Don't be a stranger, son," he demanded jovially. "We love having you!"_

~oOo~

Sirius was drumming his fingers on his desk, bored. He'd purchased a vanilla-scented candle- the aroma reminded him of the Potter's manor and Mrs. Potter, whom he loved as a mother- and was running his fingers in and out of the flames.

He'd taken to staying in his room more than he normally did while he was home; if he'd known that his cousin Bellatrix was going to be staying with his family, he would have taken up the Potter's offer to spend the summer with them. He only saw her at dinner, which his mother insisted he attend- in full dress robes, much to his annoyance- but he took other meals in his room.

When Sirius got tired of rereading his text books and Muggle motorcycle magazines, he snuck out of the house and went to Diagon Alley. Sometimes, he would go by Floo powder, but mostly he'd take a Muggle bus to Charing Cross Road and go in through the Leaky Cauldron. Even though these visits kept him sane, he limited them because he didn't want to be followed around by his brother. Or worse, Bellatrix.

_One more week_, he thought desperately. _One more week in this hell hole and I'll get to spend the last month of holiday with James!_ Not that he'd been counting down the days since the minute he got home…

BANG! The door flew open with a blast of wind, blowing papers off his desk, fluttering the posters on the wall, and extinguishing his candle.

"What the…" Sirius turned to face the door, only to see Bellatrix fly into the room and slam the door shut again. He started to get out of his chair, but the dark witch had already crossed the short distance across the room. She slammed him back into the desk chair and straddled him, using her upper body strength to pin his arms down. Sirius was paralyzed with shock.

"You've been avoiding me all summer, cousin!" she announced in her whiny, high-pitched voice. Her head was cocked at an angle, barely three inches away from his own. The maniacal look in her eyes was quite frightening. "I've been naught but pleasant and yet you continually ignore me. Why?"

Giving his head a quick shake to clear his confusion, Sirius replied coolly, "Get off me, Bella."

"No," she said with a cackle. "I think I'll stay right where I am!" She leaned forward and licked him trailing her tongue from his chin to his ear.

"Errrg!" Sirius recoiled in disgust. A burst of adrenaline allowed him to leap out of the chair and spill Bellatrix into an ungraceful heap unto the floor.

"You evil little imp!" she screeched as she scrambled to her feet. "You'll pay for that!" And she smacked him across the face, leaving behind claw marks. Sirius stepped back, put his hand to cheek, and felt the blood. He shot Bellatrix a poisonous glare, then let out a scream- more out of rage than pain. He stomped past his cousin and flung to the door open.

"GET! OUT!" he blustered, grabbing Bellatrix by the shoulders and flinging her out of his room and slamming her into the wall of the corridor. He grabbed his wand off his desk and stormed out of his room and down the hall, knocking over precious family heirlooms and ripping paintings off the walls.

He was at the front door when he heard a yell from behind him.

"And just _what_ do you think you are _doing?_" cried his mother, anger radiating in every word. Sirius whirled around so fast that the blood dripping down his cheek spattered the wall.

"Leaving!" And with that, he left, slamming the door on his family's awful world.

"Blooooood traitooooor!" he heard his mother shriek. As he held out his wand to signal the Knight Bus, he heard the tell-tale blast of his mother burning someone off the family tree.

~oOo~

Mrs. Potter set a steaming mug of hot chocolate down in front of Sirius. He'd arrived on the doorstep and she bustled him into the house, clucking over his offended cheek like a mother hen. Sirius told her what happened as she applied dittany to his face. He was now sitting at her kitchen table, looking worn out, but relieved after her assurances that his home was now under her roof.

"Now, dear, drink up!" Mrs. Potter ordered, giving the boy an approving nod as he lifted the mug. "I'll be frank and tell you that I never approved of your mother's way of handling things, especially where you're concerned." She paused to shake her head gravely. "But no matter. You're here now and that is what matters. James is due home any minute, so you just stay in the kitchen and drink your cocoa while I go make sure your room is in order."

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," Sirius said, holding the cup as if it just saved his life. Mrs. Potter stooped to kiss him on the cheek before she left the room.

Now alone, Sirius surveyed the cheery kitchen. It was all yellows and blues, with sunshine streaming in the open windows, standing in stark contrast to the gray kitchen of Grimmauld Place. His mother's kitchen- or rather Kreacher's kitchen, as he's the one who cooked- smelled of grease. The Potter kitchen smelled like fresh-baked sugar cookies, and Sirius could easily pick out the hint of vanilla that was Mrs. Potter. He took in a deep breath, and then exhaled.

_Home!_ he thought with a smile and a happy sigh. _Home._


End file.
